Originally from Georgeville, Quebec, Melissa Penney grew up in Saskatoon, moved to Alberta in 1994, and has lived in Edmonton since 2002. She inherited a love for wild animals from her mom, which has evolved into a passion for native birds. When she isn’t tending to her habitat, she works as a freelance photographer (shooting people for money and animals for fun) and public speaker. Despite taking up gardening later in life, she now frequently speaks to gardening associations (and hopes they never find out how many plants she’s killed).

Over the years, she’s volunteered at nature organizations where she’s been able to expand her wildlife knowledge. She credits her tenacity to her lifelong love of (and sometimes hate for) tennis, where winning often comes down to pure grit. A busy mother to three amazing kids and wife to the best guy on the planet, she cherishes the time they spend in the urban oasis they’ve created together.

You can keep up with her on instagram

@habitat_yeg